


The Problem With Flirting Via Geiger Counter

by viv_is_spooky



Series: Night Vale Vignettes [3]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Episode 1, Gen, Nonbinary Cecil Palmer, Oneshot, POV Carlos (Welcome to Night Vale), Typical Night Vale Weirdness, short oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:48:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29135067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viv_is_spooky/pseuds/viv_is_spooky
Summary: Carlos makes up an excuse to go talk to Cecil and ends up finding out something alarming about the radio station.
Relationships: Carlos & Cecil Palmer, Carlos/Cecil Palmer
Series: Night Vale Vignettes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928620
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	The Problem With Flirting Via Geiger Counter

_ This was  _ supposed _ to be an excuse to see the cute radio host_ _,_ Carlos thinks to himself, slightly frustrated but mostly panicked. The Geiger counter in his hand beeps and flashes wildly, in direct contrast to Cecil.

Cecil, whose life is endangered. Cecil, who’s sitting close to their microphone with their head propped up on one hand, glancing sideways at him sometimes with warm magenta eyes.

“You look nervous,” they observe in a soft, oddly  _ amused _ tone. They reach out to take Carlos’ hand, providing a dangerous level of comfort as they trace circles around the base of his thumb with a slight, pleasant pressure - a grounding friction.

He extricates his hand from their grasp as gently as possible, wincing at the slight frown that crosses their face before they school their features back into a mask of serenity.

“Cecil.”

“Yes?” Their eyes sparkle as a smile spreads slowly across their face, and-

And how will he  _ ever _ be able to concentrate with Cecil  looking at him like that?

After a quick clearing of his throat, Carlos manages to find his voice. “Everyone needs to evacuate the building,  _ now_ _._ ”

A shrug is Cecil’s response. A  _ shrug_. “I need to finish my broadcast,” they assert casually, as if their wellbeing isn’t currently in grave danger due to the possibility of radiation poisoning. They rise to their feet and turn their full attention to Carlos, then, eyes sparking with the same electric intensity as when he first met them. “You should stay with me,” they exclaim, their voice raising almost an octave as excitement breathes kinetic energy into their being. “Be a guest on the show!”

“Cecil, we have to  _ go_.”

“Okay,” they mutter, voice lowering slightly in pitch. They slump back into their chair, never once breaking eye contact (and still not sounding terribly concerned). “I’ll be out to meet you soon.”

Carlos rushes out of the radio station before Cecil can sway him into staying, as they’d most certainly be able to if they kept gazing into his soul.

Once outside the building, surrounded by a gaggle of interns fleeing the scene, he sits in his vehicle waiting for Cecil to come out of the death trap they call a recording studio. The Geiger counter continues to beep, albeit not as frantically as it had been.

After around ten minutes, Carlos comes up with a hypothesis regarding Cecil’s delayed arrival. To test it, he turns the key in his car ignition and switches on the radio.

_ “...strong of a jaw. He left in a hurry. Told us to evacuate the building. But then, who would be here to talk to sweetly to all of you out there?” _ As expected, they’re  _ still _ broadcasting, dulcet voice crooning as if they don’t have a care in the world.


End file.
